Texans turn to other weapons with receiver Andre Johnson covered

Quarterback Matt Schaub guides efficient attack in rout of Jaguars

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub throws under no pressure during the second quarter of Sunday's game.

Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak was sure of one thing — game-breaking wide receiver Andre Johnson would be the object of the Jaguars’ attention.

Holding Johnson to three receptions for 21 yards was about the only thing the Jaguars did right on defense. However, quarterback Matt Schaub simply went to his other weapons and engineered an efficient 27-7 victory on Sunday at EverBank Field.

Operating out of a no-huddle, Schaub guided the Texans on several long scoring drives, mixing in runs by Adrian Foster (110 yards) and Ben Tate (74) yards, with screens, dump-offs and short crossing routes to tight end Owen Daniels (six catches for 47 yards), Foster (six for 37), Tate (four for 23) and Kevin Walter (three for 34).

Schaub (26 of 35, 195 yards) used seven receivers and for the second game in a row did not throw an interception.

“Our guys were really ready for it and did a great job handling the situation,” Schaub said. “The guys up front are really well-conditioned for it, and it’s really helped us to keep attacking.”

Kubiak said the point of the no-huddle was to control the tempo and time of possession, which was more lopsided than the final score. Houston had the ball almost 27 minutes longer than the Jaguars and answered Maurice Jones-Drew’s 5-yard TD reception from Blaine Gabbert in the third quarter with a 17-play, 80-yard possession that ate more than nine minutes of clock time.

The Texans outgained the Jaguars 411-117 in total offense and outrushed them 216-65.

“They’re [the Jaguars] a Tampa-2 football team that says you’re not going to make a lot of big plays and do you have the patience to hold the ball and move it,” Kubiak said. “We knew that going in. Possession time is what we came to do, hang onto the ball and execute.”

Playing a stop-Johnson-first defense was understandable. Sunday was his 16th career game against the Jaguars -- the equivalent of a full NFL season -- and he's posted Pro Bowl stats in those 16 games, with 92 receptions for 1,087 yards and six touchdowns.

Foster, only four days removed from a bout with the flu, became the Texans’ all-time leading rusher with 3,176 yards, passing Dominic Davis. Foster had 69 yards by halftime. During the Texans’ long third-quarter march, he carried the ball seven times for 26 yards and converted two third-and-short situations. Foster had four other third-down conversions, three running and one on a pass reception.

“We wanted to come in here and establish the run, establish control of the line of scrimmage, Foster said. “It’s always good to have a game plan and stick to it.”